Clarke plays Dan, a CIA operative and interrogator searching for intelligence about Osama bin Laden. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Waltz plays Dr. King Schultz, a bounty hunter who helps a former slave rescue his wife from a plantation owner. Waltz previously won this category for another Quentin Tarantino film. "Inglourious Basterds."
Jackson plays Stephen, the house slave of plantation owner Calvin Candie. He has one previous Oscar nomination (Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction").
Goodman plays Harling Mays, the close friend and enabler of an alcoholic airline pilot. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Macfadyen plays Anna Karenina's brother Oblonsky. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Gandoflini plays the father of a young aspiring rock star in the mid 1960s in David Chase's film.
Khan plays the older version of the title character in "'Life of Pi." He has no previous Oscar nominations.
D'Arcy plays actor Anthony Perkins in this biopic which focuses on the making of the movie "Psycho." He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Stuhlbarg plays studio exec Lew Wasserman in this biopic which focuses on the making of the movie "Psycho." He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Huston plays scripter Whitfield Cook in this biopic which focuses on the making of the movie "Psycho." He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Pena plays Mike Zavala, an LAPD officer who becomes a target of a drug cartel. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Hoffman plays the charismatic title character who leads a faith-based organization in 1950s America. He won Best Actor for "Capote" and contended in this category for "Charlie Wilson's War" and "Doubt."
Courtenay plays Reginald, a retired member of a former opera quartet. He has two previous Oscar nominatons ("The Dresser," "Doctor Zhivago").
Connolly plays Wilfred, a retired member of an opera quartet. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Tveit plays Enjolras in the big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
O'Dowd plays Dave, the unlikely manager of the girl group. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Miller plays Patrick, a high school senior who takes a shy freshman under his wing. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
McGregor plays Henry, patriarch of a family caught up in the 2004 tsunami in Thailand. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Harrelson plays Charlie, a gangster who goes on the rampage when is beloved dog is kidnapped. He has two previous Oscar nominations.
Arkin plays Lester Siegel, one of the Hollywood producers who helps the CIA extract six Americans from 1979 Tehran. He won this race in 2006 for "Little Miss Sunshine" and has two Best Actor bids.
Haley plays Alexander Stephens, the vice president of the Confederacy, in Spielberg's biopic "Lincoln." He has one previous Oscar nomination ("Little Children").
McKellen reprises his role as the wizard Gandalf, for which he was nominated in this category for "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." He was also previously nominated for "Gods and Monsters."
Serkis reprises his role as Gollum, which he played in the "Lord of the Rings" films from 2001 to 2003. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Jones plays Thaddeus Stevens. He won an Oscar for "The Fugitive" and has two other nominations ("JFK," "In the Valley of Elah").
Gordon-Levitt plays Robert Todd Lincoln. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Hawkes plays Robert Latham in Steven Spielberg's biopic. He has one previous Oscar nomination ("Winter's Bone").
Harris plays Ulysses S. Grant in Steven Spielberg's biopic of Abraham Lincoln. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Strathairn plays William Seward. He has one previous Oscar nomination ("Good Night, and Good Luck").
Holbrook plays a retired teacher in a small town that might be opened up for natural-gas fracking. He has one previous Oscar nomination ("Into the Wild").
Henry plays Wink, the father of young Hushpuppy, in his feature acting debut. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
West plays King George VI. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Bardem plays Raoul Silva, James Bond's main adversary in "Skyfall." He won an Oscar for "No Country for Old Men" and has two other nominations ("Before Night Falls," "Biutiful").
Wilkinson plays Graham Dashwood, who travels to an Indian retirement home to revisit a secret from his past. He has two previous Oscar nominations ("In the Bedroom," "Michael Clayton").
Strong has no previous Oscar nominations.
Macy plays a priest who counsels a paralyzed man seeking a sex surrogate to take his virginity. He has one previous Oscar nomination ("Fargo").
McConaughey plays Dallas, a former stripper who owns a male strip club. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Ramirez has no previous Oscar nominations.
Murray plays Walt Bishop, the father of a girl who runs away with a young boy. He has one previous Oscar nomination ("Lost in Translation").
Law plays Alexei Karenin, whose wife Anna (Keira Knightley) has an affair with Count Vronsky. Law has two previous Oscar nominations ("The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "Cold Mountain").
Johnson plays Count Vronsky, who has an affair with the title character in this adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's classic novel. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Hardy plays the villain Bane. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Cohen plays Thenardier in the musical adaptation. He was Oscar nominated for co-writing "Borat," but he has no previous acting nominations.
Crowe plays Inspector Javert, who doggedly pursues Jean Valjean. He won an Oscar for "Gladiator" and has two other nominations ("The Insider" and "A Beautiful Mind").
De Niro plays Pat Peoples, the father of a former teacher who moves in with his mother following a stint in a mental institution. De Niro has two Oscars ("The Godfather Part II" and "Raging Bull") out of six nominations.
Fiennes plays government agent Gareth Mallory. He has two previous Oscar nominations ("Schindler's List," "The English Patient").
Fiennes plays Magwich in the Charles Dickens adaptation. He has two previous Oscar nominations ("Schindler's List," "The English Patient").
DiCaprio plays Calvin Candie, a ruthless plantation owner who holds hostage the title character's wife. He has three previous Oscar nominations ("What's Eating Gilbert Grape," "The Aviator," and "Blood Diamond").
Chandler has no previous Oscar nominations.
Goodman plays John Chambers. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Edgerton has no previous Oscar nominations.
Redmayne plays Marius in the adaptation of the Broadway musical. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Gleeson plays Konstantin Levin in the adaptation of the Tolstoy's classic novel. He has no previous Oscar nominations.
Cranston plays Jack O'Donnell. He has no previous Oscar nominations.